CFA on guard for hot Saturday

The CFA is working on control lines around the Aberfeldy bushfire with another hot day expected. There is a Watch and Act warning for the communities of Hotham Heights and Dinner Plain as the Harrietville Alpine bushfire is still out of control.

The Harrietville Alpine fire is approximately 10,210 hectares in size and is out of control.

The CFA warns that area of the Great Alpine Road, Dargo High Plains Road, including Hotham Heights, Dinner Plain, the Wongungarra River north of Dargo is unsafe to enter and people in that area should leave that area immediately.

The Great Alpine Road is closed between Harrietville and Dinner Plain and the Dargo High Plains Road is closed between Dargo and Great Alpine Road.

Aberfeldy Bushfire

CFA Incident Controller Peter West says conditions from Thursday into Friday were better than expected and the weather was benign.

Overnight the Aberfeldy bushfire backed down towards the Licola Valley.

The fire spread up to 3,000 hectares on Thursday.

"We've got a significant area of uncontained edge. We saw some fire activity build up again and we've got a hot day ahead of us," Mr West says.

The CFA is working to contain the edges of this fire.

"We'll have to monitor that today and make sure that we can try and contain it before the Licola Road," Mr West says.

Peter West says in the Black Range area fire activity is also building up.

The CFA is planning to attack the fire from the air where possible.

There are currently five aircraft on call for water bombing and asset protection, along with over 200 ground crew fighting fires.

"We're really keen to maintain our vigilance and asset protection and get through the next couple of days," Mr West says.

He says for the next few days the CFA will be working on containment lines until the cooler weather forecast for next week.

"We need people to be vigilant, there is potential that things can get worse and the fire can get a run in this area," Mr West says.